Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-10-28
HIS LITTLE GAME,
And How He Played IL.
BIZ ALEX DUKE BAILIF.

with plenty of money, all easy con-
science, an inquirlng turn of mind,
and a quiet, humorous way Of tax
ing the world, its blessings and Ills,
that often developed into direct
originality of thought, word, and
deed.
"In sweet content my days are
spent,D was the inaudible MARBLE OF
Richards heart during thirty.hye
years of single blessedness. He
enjoyed, but never abused, the
good things of this earth, skinned
around all the '1sms" and "Ologies"
as they bobbed up on the surface,
helped his friends, and was happy.
One summer he went into a neigh
boring state to hunt butterflies,
grubs, and "sich." lie found board
In a large farmhouse with two or
phan stepsisters who, with plenty
of money and much realestate,
still resided in the old homestead.
There was one of his entertainers a
very "Old-maid," with all that is
implied by that term IN its most Of
fensive sense; the other was a
young maid, sweet as the butter
she rounded into pats with her
dainty hands, trim built, and good
to look 90 as new trotting-buggy
with vtrmillion wheels, pretty and
modest as a pansy flower.
Dick neglected the winged bean
ties he came to capture aud devot-
ed his energies to winning sweet
Mary-Minnie, and he succeeded
in securing her true young heart,
much to the disgust Of Miss Cath
arine, or "Catty,' as she was called,
affectionately by her sister, with
sarcastic emphasis on the "Cat" by
all others. For the antique and
unioue maiden had made a "dead-
set" at the bOarder, as she did at
every other man, the minute he had
come IN range.
The wedding went off in due
time and style. After long tour
the married lovers returned to their
city home and we're as happy as
two doves in one nest. Dick set
tied down to catch up with all the
new "kinks" that had broken out
during his protracted honeymoon,
and the little wife sometimes felt
lonely in the big, strange city house
and missed the farm and Catty's
"bOssing."
At last she proposed TO Dick
that her half sister be invited to
pay them a visit.
"Certainly, my darling, your sis
ter and all your friends sisters are
welcome invite whom you will"
said the good husband.
Now Minnie, from the lifelong
as. ociation, was blinded to the
many unpleasant peculiarlties and
cultivated imperfectiOns Of h e T
much elder sister. Catty b d
"brought her up by hand" (many
said, more often by the ear, from
the time she was a wee toddler,
but the affechonate, innocent ma
ture of the child never detected the
hand which so long ruled her.
Catty came with eagerness, also
with little box, big box, band box,
and brOwn-paper bundle. Nature
had been lavish with its material
in manufacturing this spinster, but
nature had been more than careless
in distribution of her anatomical
sections. She "flled OUT where
she ought to have "glye in,' length
ened where she should have short
ened up, flattened where she ought
70 have rounded out, and was dread
fully mixed in general. She was SC
ugly that passers by, catching sight
of her, would clap their hands to
their cheeks-she gave them the
face ache. Her voice was like a
steam calliope with the bronchitis
and when she tuned it in "hymnS
of praise" in church, and she al
ways did it, too, at the highest pitch
if she didn't raise the dead she
raised the profane ire Of all within
the edifce. Her temper was I'M,
certain as the heels of an army
mule, except that it was certain
not to be pleasant more than two
minutes 10 every sixty.
That's the kind of a fractional
sisterin.law Dick Thornton had to
do the polite to, trot around with
to all the sights of the city, intro
duce to his friends, and be made a
martyr of generally. He stood it
like a little man, it pleased Minnie,
who never noticed Catty's unlike
ness to others, aud he was willing
10 submit to anything tor his
wife's sake. Nevertheless he was
delighted when the terror was forced
to return to the farm to see about
getting the crops in, for Catty was,
if nothing else, very keen bust
ness woman.
When the crops we're gathered
and sold she came to pay Minnie
another visit, stayed longer, and
was more ugly, domineering, and
offensive than before. Dick grin.
ned and bore it. When she at last
departed he hoped she might get
IL o.. IL IN n..aI;... a.. LIZ